Mbaka blames devil, apologises to the Catholic Church

Spiritual Director of the Enugu-based Adoration Ministry, Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka, has put a controversial past couple of weeks in which he has sparred with the Nigerian presidency, his church, and galvanised his followers to destroy the home of a bishop, down to the devil and hoodlums.

On Wednesday, May 5, 2021, parishioners who hang on every word of the controversial priest, attacked the home of Bishop Callistus Onaga of the Enugu diocese, after Mbaka was declared missing.

There were reports afterwards that Mbaka had been suspended by the church, but he took to the pulpit this week to celebrate mass like he's done for many years; and offer an apology for painting the church in a bad light and for putting his bishop in harm's way.

“I can’t disobey the church — who am I? How can somebody who has been serving the church for 25 years come out to begin to fight the same church? Everything in my life is for the church.

“In all honesty, Father Mbaka here has no problem with the church. I don’t have any problem with my bishop; people want to achieve it but they cannot allow it.

"Because I have something in me that will conquer all these problems—-the gift of humility and the obedience of the church,” he said during his sermon.

Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka and President Muhammadu Buhari. ece-auto-gen

Mbaka said he never expected that this followers would go on to vandalise Bishop Onaga's home after he was summoned.

He also said the protest that erupted after his disappearance was hijacked by hoodlums.

“I never knew that even a glass was broken. What I was praising you for was not for what was destroyed, but for your ability to search for your missing pastor.

“There was a lot of mixed information. The devil entered the story; the church did not kidnap me.

“I wish to apologise for whoever that misunderstood my statement. I did not clap for anybody for destroying anything. I heard that the search for Father Mbaka was hijacked; people joined and started breaking things.

“I am here standing on your behalf and I render my sincere, unalloyed apologies to the Holy Catholic church where I belong, and say, may the mother church forgive us in any way we didn’t do it well.

“Even in all that I said, where I didn’t say it well, I pray for forgiveness. I am on your behalf, kneeling down for the church and I tell the church, forgive.

“We are to save the image and face of the church, and the souls of the children of God. I am here for soul-saving, the church is not my property because I belong to the church," the cleric said.

After Father Mbaka called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign or be impeached, the presidency accused him of doing so because his request for government contracts had been rebuffed.